Against the Clock: The Team Leader’s Pursuit of Glory

Knock knock.

Before the room owner could invite her in, Pyo Beom-hee opened the door and entered.

"Guild Leader Kang."

"Yes."

"Are you busy? I need to talk."

Kang Mu-hyuk rubbed his sore eyes and stretched his shoulders, which had been hunched over from long hours of work.

"There's never a free moment, so anytime is fine. What's the matter?"

"There are a few issues."

Pyo Beom-hee, holding a tablet at her side, handed it over and sat on the desk.

"Here's a list of Hunters entering Hunter Village who need to be paid special attention."

After reading the document that appeared on the screen, Kang Mu-hyuk said with a troubled expression,

"There are some A-rank Hunters here, even some well-known ones. Didn't we agree not to grant entry to anyone above A-rank?"

"It's not just about A-rank. That list is just the noteworthy ones. A lot of non-affiliated Hunters took the place of original reservations. Plus, I haven't even sorted out today's entrants yet."

"That's definitely a problem. How did so many get in?"

"Individual reservations are fine, but the parties are the problem. The problem is with the policy of transferring authority when changing party members due to injuries or scheduling issues. Turns out our entry tickets are being traded online? Some are being traded by brokers."

"As expected, the system for transferring entry rights is giving us trouble."

Kang Mu-hyuk grimaced as the problems he suspected were indeed surfacing.

Pyo Beom-hee widened her eyes at his nonchalant reaction.

"Expected? What do you mean? You knew?"

"Yes. We deliberately created this system."

"What do you mean deliberately?"

"We needed a criterion to filter people through."

Confused by his cryptic response, Pyo Beom-hee demanded a more detailed explanation.

Kang Mu-hyuk continuously touched the tablet, flipping through the screens as he spoke, "I'm currently conducting a risk assessment. But during Taeseong's time, there was no base model, so we had to reset everything and start from scratch."

"Risk assessment? Do we even have the personnel for that right now? No. More importantly, are we capable of it?"

It wasn't unreasonable for Pyo Beom-hee to be surprised. The task Kang Mu-hyuk was undertaking was no simple feat.

<Guild Risk Assessment Model>

Usually, this was an area handled by large A-rank guilds or well-established mid-tier guilds who were expanding their scope.

It involved examining factors that could pose risks to the guild, such as activities of other guilds, high-ranking Hunters, Gate raids, monster hunting, government policies, and public opinion trends. The goal was to diagnose elements like hunting, management, disputes, and supply crises, then predict future events and prepare response strategies.

The problem was that this task required substantial manpower and cost.

Given the industry's high variability, even well-modeled scenarios often went awry, but large guilds could manage that within a margin of error and thus deemed it essential.

"We're struggling because we don't have the resources for 'full modeling'. That's why we need criteria to filter out the risks."

"Ah? So, these people are a 'Minimum viable sample', right?"

"Yes. Initially, we wanted to identify guilds interested in ours first. The fact that they'd go through loopholes to gain entry means they pose either a threat or potential for cooperation with Iron Will. It's easier to manage if we deliberately create a gap for them to enter, rather than being blindsided by an uncontrollable situation."

Pyo Beom-hee was astounded.

"Huh? Seriously, you're something else, taking on such a maddening task alone. You could just expand the guild and then proceed. South Korea's always the best at making things harder for itself, isn't it?"

"With Guild Master ranking up, we couldn't delay any longer. We couldn't be sure how long we could keep the S-ranker's existence under wraps. We had to prepare in advance."

Iron Will was an unusual case, not just in Korea but globally.

The guild's capacity was at C-rank, but the scale of operations, excluding Gate activities, was close to B-rank. Considering the potential of the Rider Wolves, A-rank wasn't a far call.

The guild's reputation, too, was comparable to the Slayer Guild among the general public, thanks to image-building through the Rider Wolves and the Orc War Raids. Ju Se-ah's popularity also played a significant role.

Now that they had an S-rank Hunter, their force was comparable to Tier guilds. Of course, the average skills of Hunters in the guild, excluding Ju Se-ah, lagged behind other guilds, which was an issue.

'We've grown faster than I expected. Right now, we're a top-heavy guild. Wobbling at every step. It isn't exactly a pleasant experience.'

While the ordinary members were inflated with dreams of success, Kang Mu-hyuk saw clearly just how precarious their tightrope walk was. If the enemy forces ever target Iron Will's weaknesses, we could completely crumble.

Kang Mu-hyuk's words made Pyo Beom-hee realize she couldn't discuss the risk assessment any further.

She knew too well from her time at Titan Guild how sensitive everyone became during risk assessment week---it was unthinkable for one person to handle it alone.

'It looks like our guild's problem is the lack of people to share the load. Ah, I wonder what all my former colleagues are doing now. Still testing the waters because they're scared of Titan? No, maybe they're sick of this industry... After what they went through at Titan'

Pyo Beom-hee recalled her former colleagues who had been ousted from Titan.

When she joined Iron Will, Kang Mu-hyuk had sent offers to all of them, but only four, including herself, had joined. If the rest had joined, they would have been a formidable force for Kang Mu-hyuk.

One particularly talented but annoying former colleague came to mind, 'Hyun Junggeon, that guy may have been nonsensical, but he was definitely skilled. Where the heck is he now? I can't reach him at all.'

As Pyo Beom-hee sighed in frustration, Kang Mu-hyuk asked, "You mentioned a few issues?"

"Ah, right. There are some grievances from our members, particularly about patrol duties. This place is too vast for our current numbers to manage, especially with the number of visitors."

"That'll be solved soon. Once Hunters start hunting regularly, the need for routine monster clearing will decrease. We're also considering more Hunter recruitment. For now, please ask the communications team to handle it."

"You think they can handle it just with you saying handle it? They're barely holding out. Lately, I can't tell if I'm a babysitter or a Hunter, with all the complaining."

"I'll resolve it as quickly as I can, so please tackle the communications team."

"So I can tackle them to the floor?"

"Not tackle them to the floor. I mean, deal with them."

"Lighten up, I was just joking. Anyway, I'm off to work."

"I know it wasn't a joke."

As Pyo Beom-hee picked up her tablet and turned to leave, Kang Mu-hyuk called out again, "I want to emphasize once more, we can't operate like we did at Titan!"

"I'll try."

"Don't just try..."

Before Kang Mu-hyuk could finish his sentence, Pyo Beom-hee had closed the door and left.

He dismissed any worries about her; despite her joking manner, she was not one to ignore work instructions. Suddenly, Pyo Beom-hee remembered the list she had shown. It bothered her that not all the names on the list had been checked.

'The fact that I couldn't take a look at it is bothering me.'

Regrettably, Kang Mu-hyuk was overwhelmed with work. There simply wasn't enough time to physically check each person and handle things immediately. The other staff members were in the same situation. Everyone was swamped with work.

Moreover, assessing the risk levels based on the guild's interests or Hunters' tendencies wasn't a task that could be delegated to just anyone. Without a seasoned analyst who had long experience in the industry, it was difficult to produce a reliable report.

Given Iron Will's rapid growth, the lack of skilled personnel made it an impossible task.

'I can only hope this passes quietly. Well, I've prepared some safety measures, so it should be fine.'

Contrary to his thoughts, a foreboding feeling lingered.

"I said, call Ju Se-ah!"

Pyo Beom-hee frowned at the 'mana howling' she heard as she was leaving the building.

She turned towards the community center.

In the center's lobby, a man standing arrogantly, despite causing inconvenience, was intimidating the members.

Veins throbbed on Pyo Beom-hee's forehead.

"Is Ju Se-ah your damn dog?! What makes you think you can just call her like that?!"

The man tilted his head at Pyo Beom-hee's sharp voice.

'Huh? She's not an easy one, huh?'

Despite being exposed to the mana howling and remaining unscathed, the man immediately questioned her identity.

"Who are you?"

"Who are you?"

"Don't you know me?"

"That's why I'm asking. Introduce yourself first when you come to someone else's base."

"Park Beomil."

The name stirred murmurs among the crowd.

"Park Beomil? The tiger of the White Tiger Guild?"

"Why is the brawler here? Isn't he an A+ ranker?"

"He's looking for Guild Master Ju Se-ah. Did he come to pick a fight?"

Even without others informing her, Pyo Beom-hee knew who this famous man was.

He was the leader of the first expedition party of the White Tiger Guild, another Tier-ed guild like Slayer.

Known as a martial arts tank, he was famous for seeking out and challenging strong Hunters wherever they might be. While his name alone could make most Hunters tremble, to Pyo Beom-hee, he was hardly a surprising opponent.

'I've even fought the Tyrant, what's new about this?'

She might have felt tense in the past, but having dealt with the Tyrant before and ranking up to A+, facing Park Beomil didn't stir any feelings in me.

Park Beomil asked again.

"So, you are?"

"Iron Will Guild's Communications Team Leader, Pyo Beom-hee."

"Commu-what team?"

"It's similar to other guilds' management teams."

"A lackey, then?"

"Careful with your tongue. A lackey? We're not a thuggish team like yours."

Park Beomil glared at her disbelievingly.

"Hey, thugs? That mouth of yours? Jeez. Really, how dare you compare a Tier guild to a C-rank lackey? Ridiculous."

"Of course, that would be rude. How can you compare a strong idiot to an elegant intellectual like me?"

"Oi, just coz you have a mouth doesn't mean you're qualified to talk."

"If you're going to call someone, do it properly. What's 'oi', huh? Little punk!"

"What? Punk?"

As Pyo Beom-hee retorted without backing down, Park Beomil, known to be tiger-faced, looked even more fierce.

He wasn't dealing with an ignorant civilian. Even as a member of a C-rank guild, she was still a Hunter. She knew very well what the White Tiger Guild was like. Yet her stubborn attitude really irritated him.

"Ah, I tried to be nice about this."

"Oh yeah? I think you should listen to me and be obedient while I'm being nice."

"Obedient? As if?!"

The moment Park Beomil clenched his fist.

Crack!

Pyo Beom-hee's hand struck faster. Park Beomil blocked her fist with his palm right in front of his face.

He bared his teeth and growled.

"So much for being from the Communications Team, you use your hands better than your mouth."

"My mouth's on my fist."

Park Beomil scoffed.

"Is that why it's so light? It just tickles."

"I use something else better than my fist. But that one's pretty heavy, you know?"

"What?"

Suddenly, Park Beomil's body crumpled as if hit by a dump truck and he was flung through the lobby window to the outside.

The Hunters, holding their breath during the confrontation, were confused by the sudden turn of events.

Pyo Beom-hee turned to look at the protagonist who caused the commotion.

"Good morning."

"Eulji, you're late today."

"I haven't been caught yet. Just pretend you didn't see me, Team Leader."

"Be thankful the Guild Master isn't here because of an external schedule."

"I knew. That's why I came late."

Pyo Beom-hee chuckled sardonically at the guild's youngest rising star.

His demeanor, scared of Ju Se-ah yet nonchalantly taking her chances, reminded her of a high school student trying to skip night study sessions.

'Is she bold or just dense?'

Go Eulji pointed out the broken window and said, "But who is that guy making a racket from this morning? It's annoying enough having to come in during vacation, let alone deal with this noise."

"You hit someone without even knowing who they were?"

"You told me to hit him."

"When did I?"

"Like this, with a chin gesture."

"I just said to grab him. I didn't say to hit him."

"I didn't hit him. I threw him."

"Same difference."

At that moment, the thrown Park Beomil burst in through the broken window, seething with rage.

"These people, throwing someone around and then just chatting away?"

His body was transforming. His muscles swelled even thicker, and his hair grew longer. His canines jutted out over his lips, and his round pupils elongated horizontally.

This was the 'therianthropy,' a trait of Park Beomil, the representative Hunter of the White Tiger Guild.

"I hate dealing with shapeshifters; they have high resistance. Wonder if the poison will work?"

"Ah, right. The broken window. Am I going to get in trouble for this? What if they deduct it from my salary?"

A dark energy swirled around Pyo Beom-hee. Simultaneously, Go Eulji's hand reached toward Park Beomil.

Both parties were ready to fight when a shadow loomed behind Park Beomil.

Noticing it, Park Beomil turned to strike first, but the shadow struck with a blade first. A cold blade tip touched Park Beomil's jaw, and a warning was issued.

"Hunter Park Beomil. By behaving like this here, you're putting us and yourself in a tough spot."

"Jang Deok-goo..."

"Still following our Guild Master around? Sorry, but clingy men aren't her type."

Jang Deok-goo taunted him, and Park Beomil gritted his teeth.

"You annoyed me back in Slayer, too. Are you blocking me here as well?"

"Leave while I'm asking nicely. Don't want to see blood in my new house."

"I'll give you a lesson someday too."

Despite his combative words, Park Beomil reverted to his original form.

'These two women seem capable enough, and with Jang Deok-goo on top? 3 against 1 is too much.'

Though he often appeared reckless, Park Beomil, as a member of a Tier guild expedition, was prudent in battle. He recognized his disadvantage and retreated. What he sought was a duel, not a brawl, and he didn't want to waste his strength before even meeting Ju Se-ah.

The Hunters were surprised to see him back down.

This was Park Beomil. Known as a brawler, it was unheard of for him to retreat without a fight.

Park Beomil was annoyed by the Hunters' stares. Both the process and outcome had damaged his pride. He felt grossly misunderstood.

"Damn! These people don't know who Jang Deok-goo is."

Park Beomil knew Jang Deok-goo well.

The villain among villains.

An enforcer ruthless enough to be called a demon among criminals.

He had operated in the shadows for longer than in the light, and while not well-known among average Hunters, high-ranked Hunters knew him as the 'Weapon Master.' There was no weapon he couldn't handle, and he mastered them all to the extreme. The sheer variety of weapons he could wield made fighting him complicated; his combat style changed depending on the weapon he chose.

Park Beomil didn't think he would lose to him but couldn't guarantee victory either. A definite fact was that a life-risking confrontation was inevitable, and he anticipated it would most likely end in a draw.

To avoid showing that he felt outmatched, Park Beomil spoke up.

"I didn't come here to cause a disturbance. I just want to settle the score that couldn't be settled back in Slayer times."

"Settle what score? We've never even fought."

"Wasn't it always you and Sung Seon-jae stopping me?"

"You were quiet for a while; got the itch to fight again? Keep it in check. You're already on thin ice here."

"Why? Afraid your Guild Master will be embarrassed?"

For a moment, Jang Deok-goo felt the urge to just throw Park Beomil at Ju Se-ah. Maybe then he'd learn his lesson after tasting an S-rank punch.

'But I can't let them fight. If they do, no matter how much we try to hide it, the fighter will feel something's different.'

That would make it impossible to keep Ju Se-ah's S-rank status hidden. He couldn't wreck the chief's plans just to teach one arrogant Hunter a lesson.

Kang Mu-hyuk putting him on patrol must have meant he was supposed to quell such disturbances.

"Your time will come, but not now. Back off before we have to kick you out."

"Fair enough. Today's not my day, it seems."

Park Beomil withdrew compliantly, and Jang Deok-goo watched him go, puzzled by his uncharacteristically submissive behavior.

As Park Beomil left the community center, Pyo Beom-hee stepped in to manage the situation.

"Alright, show's over. Everyone back to work."

She instructed a staff member to call the facilities team to repair the broken window. Jang Deok-goo nodded at Pyo Beom-hee and then turned away.

Pyo Beom-hee nodded back lightly and pulled out her tablet. Busy as she was, she hadn't been able to check all the individuals of interest. She hadn't even managed to filter out the entrants for the day. But now that she had identified Park Beomil, she felt he shouldn't just be overlooked.

As Pyo Beom-hee focused on her tablet, Go Eulji approached her with a question.

"But who is that old man? I think I saw him next to the Guild Master last time."

"I don't know exactly either. From what I heard from Guild Leader Kang, he's like the Guild Master's mentor or guardian or something similar."

"Mentor? No wonder. He looked intimidating."

"Ah? I heard he also knows your maternal grandfather. Haven't you seen him before?"

"I don't pay much attention to association affairs. Would a few of the grandpas who taught me know him?"

"Grandpas?"

"Yes, friends of my maternal grandfather."

While not taking her eyes off the tablet, Pyo Beom-hee sighed when she came across some familiar names.

"Shoot. These guys should have been listed at the front. What were they thinking putting them at the back?"

It was her fault too for not checking everything, but she had assumed that things would be organized by priority, as they were back in her Titan days.

This detail connected with the difficulties Kang Mu-hyuk was facing. Realizing the guild's oversight, Pyo Beom-hee decided it was necessary to handle it, at least to prevent problems.

But it was difficult alone. She needed someone to assist.

"Someone with mobility and good at overpowering. I'm too busy with other things to move around. Maybe Captain Lee Jin-joo or Hunter Noh Song-rin... No, they'd be busy too. Then, who should I entrust it to... Ah!"

Just then, the right person came to mind.

"Eulji, you're not busy right now, are you?"

"I have training. If I skip, the Guild Master will kill me."

"The Guild Master isn't here right now."

"Oh? Now that you mention it, that's right."

"Just help me with one thing."

"One thing? I don't really want to skip training to work."

"I see. The unpublished B cuts of the BTA photo album."

"What can I help you with?"

At the community center en route to Hunter Village.

A Hunter loitering there followed Park Beomil.

"Taeseob? I told you to wait at the room. Why are you out here?"

"How did it go, party leader?"

"Can't you see I made it here fine? They really won't let me fight her."

"That's to be expected. Even if they are a guild without a background, they  wouldn't expose their Guild Master that easily."

"Even so, I had some hopes coming here. Seong Seon-jae is so rigid. Nothing gets through to him at all. I thought there'd be no one to stop me here, but there's even worse people here."

"Worse?"

"Yeah, a really nasty one."

As a member of Park Beomil's party, Go Taeseob sighed deeply and spoke cautiously,

"You've tended to your personal matters, now you need to deal with the official ones."

"I know. I haven't forgotten."

"You know we don't have much time, right?"

"Once we enter here, aren't we guaranteed a week?"

"But you caused a problem, didn't you? We might receive an eviction notice soon. We need to finish our business before that happens."

As Go Taeseob reprimanded him, Park Beomil frowned.

"Damn it. To kick around high-level talent like me. I don't understand what those higher-ups are thinking."

"You are one of those higher-ups."

"My higher-ups. Tsk! Can't even fight the witch. Staying here will only add to my stress. What about the information we followed up on?"

"It's been confirmed."

"Only now? And it's not handled yet?"

"We're looking for the right opportunity. There are too many eyes around here."

"Tsk! So damn slow. There's no one reliable among those guys. If they weren't clients, I'd flip them over in a heartbeat."

"This is Guild Master Ju Se-ah's territory. Except for you, every Hunter has to behave."

"Damn it, I'd rather die than stress out over it. Let's go. If we rely on others, it will take forever. We'll have to do it ourselves."